“Congratulations, ma’am.” Elena dropped her eyes on the two awards that the woman pointed at her and she sniffed. “I… I won?” She raised a brow at Marvella and then the lady nodded her head. “I wished you were there to receive them by yourself. I would gladly give my all to watch the happiness on your face while you were called on stage,” she grinned as Elena finally collected it from her. Grabbing the two awards in her hands firmly, she smiled softly and sniffed back the tears that were going to drop. Not to lie, she had assumed that she was not going to win this. She literally took her mind off it too because she didn’t want to be hurt when the result finally came out. Not only one award… but two. She shook her head and then smacked her tongue. “I am speechless.” “You deserve it,” Marvella grinned. “Oh, my God! Sis!” Ariana finally left where she stood with her parents and then rushed to hug her sister. “Congratulations, Elena!” She exclaimed while she hugged her
It was early morning, and time for surgery.The doctor started by greeting the family and reassuring them that the surgery was going to go well.After, it was time for Zeke to follow him.Zeke moved over to Elena, ignoring her father, and then dropped his hands on her shoulder.“It’s alright.”She nodded her head and forced a smile.Glancing around to look at her family, and then Chloe, Jeremy, and Ryan who had arrived so early that morning, she nodded her head again.They were enough to keep her going till the surgery was over.As soon as Zeke turned away from her to leave, she exhaled, and called out his name, her hands subconsciously grabbing the hem of his clothing. “Zeke.”Eyes fell on her, but she ignored them and only raised her head to look at Zeke who turned back to look at her.She moved her hands away, picked on her fingers, and then exhaled.“I… I checked online…” she stuttered.“It is not a painful surgery.”“I know,” Zeke nodded his head.“It… it won’t give you any side
“So… how are they? My daughter and… and the donor?” Elena asked.“Rest assured, they are doing well. However, the donor… Mr Zeke. The anesthesia wore off during the surgery and he was aware during the entire procedure. Although it is highly unlikely for a person to wake up during the surgery, as the anesthesia is designed to keep them in a deep sleep state. Still, it is not impossible. It is a rare case, but it still happened with him.”“So? Is it going to be a problem?”“Not really. We made sure to adjust the anesthesia levels to ensure he was comfortable and pain-free. He will be taken to a recovery room soon where he will be monitored as the anesthesia wears off completely, but he may experience some discomfort, pain, or nausea… oh, and difficulty sleeping. But be rest assured, all of these can be managed with medication,” he informed.“Oh, God,” Elena palmed her mouth and then sniffed.“He is out of danger, Ms. Baskerville, I assure you. And your daughter too. The surgery was a s
“Are you sure? If it were up to me, I’d suggest that you stay here for a few more days,” Elena said, worry plastered across her face as she watched the man who did his shirt button.It was early the next morning and Zeke had already asked to be discharged even though the doctor had suggested that he should spend at least a day more.He insisted that he was good already and that he had no other complaints and if he did, he'd let the doctor know.“He does not listen,” Chloe who stood beside Ryan rolled her eyes and hissed.“I don’t like it here. I could not sleep well in that bed,” Zeke snapped his brows together as he glanced at the bed.“As if you’ve ever slept well in any bed,” Ryan rolled his eyes.Zeke swallowed, moved over to Elena, and then dropped his hands on her shoulders.“I am fine. I promise.”She exhaled, nodded her head, and then sniffed. “You better let me know if anything goes wrong again.”“I promise. Now, we gotta wait till Natalie gets discharged, right? The surgery
When Ray suddenly burst into laughter, Zeke’s eyes fluttered as though he had said something very funny. He tilted his head and then sighed.“Sir?”“Is this some movie show?”“You asked…”“How much do you want, Zeke?”“I have answered you.”Ray shook his head, “My daughter is not an option.”“Everything I did is for my family, father.”“I am no father of yours and they are not your family either.”Dumbfounded, Zeke nodded his head and then smacked his tongue. “Sir.”“I am grateful to you for what you have done for our family. For my grand daughter.”“It is my responsibility as her father.”“You have no responsibility to fulfill, dear,” he chuckled rather sarcastically.“So, see her as much as you want to while we are still in the hospital. Elena included. I can assure you that will not happen again after she has been discharged.”“Fath—”“You can’t have her again!” He snapped and then palmed his forehead.“You don’t even deserve her.”“I will make myself worthy of her again,” he said.
“Did something happen?” Ryan asked Zeke again. This time, he had pulled the car gently into his compound and had followed him out of the car.Zeke had kept mute the entire time in the car and even though he and Chloe had thrown random jokes, or started random conversations with the hope that he was going to join, he kept mute still.Still, Zeke said nothing and made an entrance to the big door of his house.“No, I am certain something happened. What is wrong? You said you were going to stay for a while. You said you wanted to see your daughter.”“Ryan…” Zeke finally exhaled and swallowed.Entering the living room fully, he turned around, dropped his eyes on the couple, and then palmed his forehead.He was keeping his feelings bottled up. He felt like he wanted to cry.But, he was a man and he should not cry, right?But, fuck that.He had little regret in his life, but this…?He would forever regret it.It was something he could have controlled. He did it anyway. He thought it was the
Elena looked out of the door for the umpteenth time and then sighed before she returned to stab a piece of apple in the bowl in her hand.“Give up. He’s not coming,” Ariana breathed out.“Who?”“I know you are waiting for Zeke.”“I am not!” She denied and Ariana nodded her head.“Besides… how did you know he is not coming?” She asked.“It’s been almost a week. He left without telling you and has not returned since then. He didn’t call you either.”“Something… might be wrong with him,” she shrugged her shoulders off.“Something like? Chloe was here and she didn’t deliver any bad news, so, what something?” Ariana asked.Elena sniffed, bit her lower lips, and then turned to look outside again.She did not want to admit that she was worried, but deep down, she knew she was.He was supposed to be here…He had promised he would be by her side till Natalie got discharged.He left that morning and had not returned since then.He didn’t even call her!She suspected so strongly that her father
“So, you’re not going? Really?”Zeke ignored Ryan totally, his head buried in his laptop and the man shook his head. Ryan exhaled and collapsed in the chair opposite Zeke and palmed his face.“Your daughter… Natalie is getting discharged today and you really are not going there?!”Still, he was mute. Maybe if Ryan peeped to check what Zeke was typing continuously on the keyboard, he would see that the only word he kept typing was ‘Natalie.’“You know, you are an asshole, right?”Still, he was mute.“She is leaving the hospital today. It means she is hale and healthy already. It means she can move around freely and you can meet her as you please, you know?” Ryan reminded him.When Zeke did not answer, he leaned closer, pushed the laptop shut, and then hissed.“What are you planning? I can swear that you are not busy and you were typing shit right there.”“C… could you see them home safely?”“Dude, that is your duty, not mine!” Ryan snapped with creased brows.Zeke nodded his head, exh
Two hours after Zeke had been wheeled into the recovery room, Elena was finally granted the chance to meet him.Her father and Ryan urged her to go in and she did after adjusting her clothes and hair. Zeke could wake up anytime, she thought. It would not be nice if he saw her rumpled and rough.She entered fully, stood beside his bed, and then palmed her mouth.The man who was usually strong and agile was strapped to some machines and this sight broke her heart.She settled gently on the chair beside him and then watched him slowly.She didn’t know how long she had spent watching him before she finally leaned forward and then dropped her hand on his arm.“You better wake up soon…” she sniffed.“You’ve got a lot of things to say and do… so, wake up.”“Well… I could at least try to forgive you if you wake up now. But… if you take any longer, I would not.”She bore her eyes on his face and got no movement still and then sighed.“Nathan and Natalie… they will be so sad if they find out s
Before Gerald could move an inch or fire another bullet, a group of police ran in, and then he looked down at his body to see the red points that were all over his body.He turned to look outside, and sighting the uniformed men on the roof away from the building, he sighed in defeat.“Shit.”“Drop your gun, and take a step back!” He was ordered.He knew there was no escaping this. Aside from just killing off a person with proof, he has had prior charges of murder, rape, assault… oh, how much the list goes on.He raised his head to look at Zeke, tightened his grip around the gun, and then sniffed. At least, this mother fucker should not stay alive either.As he pointed the gun at Zeke, he was shot in his hand instantly and he dropped the gun and screamed.“We need an ambulance!” One of the police shouted and rushed to Zeke, scanned him, and then leaned down to check Camila.While the other men rushed to arrest Gerald, Zeke gestured at the man who was checking on Camila’s condition and
“Z…Zeke!” Camila gasped and scurried away from the man to grab a cloth to cover her nakedness.“You didn’t want me to come because of… this?” Zeke chuckled as he dropped his eyes on the man.Even while he was naked, he looked less bothered to have seen him and all he did was drop his hands on his waist and then stare at him like there was a competition going on.“What is going on?” He asked.Zeke scanned the man from the head. He was a thug, he needed not to be told.Everything about the man screamed that.Aside from the bold, ugly tattoos that he had all over his body, the multiple piercings on his nose and ears were proof too.Zeke entered fully and then turned to look at Camila who rushed to wear her pants and then a top before she turned to look at him, breathing heavily.“H… how did you find me? You brought the police?” She asked perilously and then looked around their environment.“Chill, it is just me,” he answered, “Yet,” he added under his breath.“Uhm… he is… she sniffed an
“Has she contacted you since then?” Ryan asked Zeke the moment he entered the office. “No. Something up? You asked that I come over,” he yawned and then settled on the couch. “Are you good?” “Sure. Just dropped off the twins at home.” “Oh, they are back to Elena?” Zeke pressed his lips together dejectedly and then nodded his head. “Yes. What’s up by the way?” “I found a method to end this shit with her faster. We still have Ethan to deal with. We don’t need her drama.” “How?” “Call her again.” “Her number is not going through. I tried calling her that day, remember?” “Well, use another line. You need to talk to her so that we’ll be able to get her location.” Zeke nodded his head and then removed his phone from his pocket. He dialed the number Camila had used to call him a few days back and then it directed him to voicemail as usual. “Here,” Ryan picked up a phone lying on his table and then pushed it over to Zeke. “Whose phone is this?” “Use that to call
“Are you sure you are good?” Elena asked as she dropped a glass of juice on the table and then settled on the couch opposite Chloe.The lady had come to visit her quite early in the morning and she needed not to be told that something was wrong as the lady did not look exactly nice either,“Y… yeah, sure. Where are the twins though? They are not back?”“Yes. They are returning tomorrow though,” she answered.The twins had spent over a week at Zeke’s place and it was time they returned home. Although, they were against it. They wanted to keep staying with him. Their words, not hers.And Zeke had not gone to work for over a week because he wanted to be with them and give them all the attention that they needed.“I bet they are enjoying their stay,” Chloe wrapped her hands around the glass cup and then chuckled.“Of course, they would. Unlike me, Zeke let them eat whatever they want… every time. I keep telling him to stop that too. Too much sweets is not good for them, but what did he s
“What the fuck are you saying, Camila?” Zeke inhaled and asked ever calmly. He would not let the anxiety show in his voice, would he? “No, where are you?” He asked again. Instead, the lady went mute for a while before she burst into laughter. She laughed so maniacally for a while which made Zeke and Ryan turn to look at each other. “Did you miss me?” “Where are you?” “If you miss me, all you have to do is say the word, I’ll come to you.” “What have you done, Camila? You…” “Me? I didn’t do anything,” she groaned. “I just… I mean… I might have just laid two people to rest…” “What?” “I mean… she snores so bad!” “Who?” “My… roomie? Or should I call her cellmate? Whatever you like though. But, she stresses me out. Are you not happy for me? Now, I don’t have to deal with her snores any longer.” “Camila, you fucking killed a person!” “Two, actually.” “What?” “I killed two people. That security man? Ah… even if he gets buried, he would never stop turning in
“What the fuck do you mean by Camila is missing?” Zeke asked, his teeth gritted.No way in hell would he believe that.Not only was the security at the asylum tight, there was also no way the woman would have gotten the nerves to have done that.“She is, Zeke. And that’s not all…”“What?”“She killed two people before she left.”“What?!” Zeke shouted and then hurriedly moved away from the environment to avoid getting his children’s attention.“Make me understand. Elaborate.”“She killed the woman she shares a room with. And… a security officer. Stabbed them both to death with a fork. They were both sleeping, I heard. She must have planned it through. She evaded the security.”“I don’t… Ryan, this is messed up. How could she…”“Camila is a threat now. Not only has she become wilder, she is a fugitive now. The police have started their investigation.”“Where are you?” He swallowed hard.“Home.”“I’ll come to you. We should visit the asylum together too.”Ryan nodded his head from the ot
“What?” Zeke asked his mother with furrowed brows. She had suddenly called him so early in the morning, mumbling some words to him. “I said… Can I come to see them?” She asked again. “See who?” “The kids. I heard they are with you,” she stated. Zeke shook his head and smacked his tongue. “How do you know? It’s not like I announced that or something.” “Oh, Chloe told me… just now.” “Chloe? I never…” He stopped midway and tugged his lips upward. Since Ryan knew, then it explained how Chloe knew too. This was really one of the reasons he still does not support relationships between friends and siblings. Although he had not said anything to the couple regarding their relationship since then. Natalie’s ailments were one of the reasons too, still, he did not show it to them whether he liked it or hated it. He was aware that Ryan loved his sister. At least, with the little he had seen. He knew his friend so well, and because he knew him well, he knew that he had no
Staring down at her kids who giggled happily since Zeke had announced to them that it was time to return home.The kids were so happy and it was so evident. They jumped excitedly, held each other's hand, and then rushed out of the house.“I hope they are not stressing you?” She asked Zeke.Zeke chuckled, shook his head, and then answered, “Stressing me? I’m enjoying every moment, Elena, trust me. It would have been perfect if you had been here too,” he said and she rolled her eyes.“I mean it.”“Whatever. And Natalie. I hope she is still taking her medication.”“Of, course, Elena.”“Thank you.”He shook his head and then clasped his hands together, “Let me know if you hear from Ramon, okay? He might call you or whatever, just let me know. We will start working on things from my end too.”“Are you not really going to wait for dinner?” Karina joined the two in the living room.“Left to me, Mother, I would have, but the twins… they think I am planning to leave them here and then return h